Shattered
by FleurHartz
Summary: A story that takes place on a dark and stormy night at the Luthor mansion. In which many things are shattered--cars, relationships, perceptions... (hints of Lex/Chloe and Clark/Lana)


Shattered  
  
Disclaimer- I do not own and did not create any of these characters or places.  
  
  
It all really did start on a dark and stormy night. Being a journalist, I feel like I'm completely devoid of creativity by starting a story that way, but that's the only way to say it. Clark and I were driving home from some weird Japanese restaurant that we had both hated. While we were eating, the rain had reached a deafening roar. The electric pseudo-Japanese lamps were flickering, and when we left, we were literally up to our ankles in what was soon becoming a flood.  
  
"Well, this is great." Clark sighed, unlocking the car.  
  
"You build the ark, I'll get the animals." I joked weakly, sadly looking at my ruined suede boots.  
  
We drove in silence for awhile, as the rain continued to get worse. Clark was having trouble driving, and it was getting nearly pitch black. We were out of the main city now, and dark forests surrounded the country road. Clark was obviously having trouble keeping control of the car. I tried not to appear nervous-that would just make him more on edge. While turning a corner though, the car hit an especially slick spot, and started to skid.  
  
The last thing I remember was squealing tires and a faint screaming. Maybe mine.  
~*~  
  
"Chloe.."  
  
I blinked, suddenly conscious. My ankle hurt like hell. I looked up at who was talking, expecting to see Clark's familiar face. But no, it was....Lex Luthor?  
  
"L-Lex?" I said groggily.  
  
"Chloe Sullivan." He replied.  
  
"W-What...why are you here?" I realized that sounded a little rude.  
  
"Well, this is my house."  
  
"Huh?" I solidified my position as being not capable of coherent thought, but Lex didn't seem to notice.  
  
"Clark's here too, he was just calling your parents. You two got in a car accident near by, and you were knocked out. Clark was apparently fine, and carried you here. You two can stay here for the night."  
  
"Clark carried me here?"  
  
"Apparently."  
  
"That's kinda heroic." I said, impressed.  
  
"Let's have a parade then." Lex said sarcastically.  
  
Clark walked in, interrupting our awkwardness. Or mine anyway. Nothing ever seemed awkward for Lex.  
  
"Chloe! You're awake! I'm so sorry--" Clark sat down across from me, squeezing my hand.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Clark."  
  
"So you're okay?"  
  
"Yeah...my ankle hurts." I motioned towards my right ankle.  
  
Lex suddenly put his hand around my bare ankle. I jumped slightly, not really used to physical contact between myself and Lex Luthor.  
  
"It's not broken." He said, releasing my ankle.  
  
"Thank God." Clark breathed out heavily.  
  
"Wait, Clark, you didn't get hurt...at all?" Lex said slowly.  
  
"Um, no, apparently not." Clark looked confused at Lex's skeptic expression.  
  
"Does that upset you or something?" I looked at Lex carefully.  
  
Lex met my glance suddenly and fiercely, shutting me up. I felt a shiver shoot through me. Then his face reverted back to his usual easy, self-satisfied expression.  
  
"No, Chloe, that doesn't upset me. I'll be right back." He said, grinning casually and leaving.  
  
"Seriously, Clark, thanks." I said, grinning at him.  
  
"Chloe, it's the least I could do after nearly killing you." Clark looked distraught.  
  
"I don't think spraining my ankle is nearly killing me."  
  
"Still...I'm just glad nothing worse happened."  
  
"Hey, me too." I laughed.  
  
He smiled slightly.  
  
"Sorry about the weird location. I know you don't know Lex that well, but he's really okay."  
  
"No...he seems okay. He did offer me that awesome job over the summer." I shrugged.  
  
"Oh, that's right."   
  
Lex came back in the room then, and I felt a strange twist in my stomach. There was just something about him that was kind of...getting to me. In a not-annoying getting to me way. In a shaky, weird kind of way.   
  
He sipped the glass of wine he was now holding, and held out a cashmere sweater and silk pajama bottoms to me. I stared at them blankly.  
  
"You're soaked. You should change." He stated plainly.  
  
I took them, and was suddenly struck with the fact that a cashmere sweater and silk pants belonged to Lex, and I in no way questioned his manhood because of this.  
  
"Right. I'll go change then."  
  
"Can you get up all right?" Lex asked, nonchalantly offering his hand.  
  
"I'll help her." Clark jumped up.  
  
"Aren't you just the knight in shining armor tonight?" Lex said sardonically, still offering me his hand. Clark sat back down.  
  
I took Lex's hand, and he pulled me to my feet. I made sure not to step on my ankle, lamely hopping along and feeling like a total idiot as we crossed the hall.  
  
"You can change in here." Lex motioned to the door in front of us, taking the arm away that was supporting me as I hobbled into the room.  
  
"Just let me know when you're done." And he closed the door behind him.  
  
I held the sweater and pants as I sat down carefully on a couch in the room. It had a fireplace that wasn't currently lit, and dusty books lined the walls. Over the fireplace was a huge portrait of Lex. I took off my soaked shirt and jeans, trying to ignore the portrait which made me feel very uncomfortable. It didn't help that the sweater smelled reaaally nice. Once I had changed, I hopped back across the hall, once again feeling like an idiot. The pants and sweater were a little big, but not embarrassingly so. The door was open, but Lex and Clark were no longer in the room. That's weird, I thought to myself, finally taking a really big hop and landing on the couch. Huh. My ankle didn't really hurt that badly anymore. Or maybe the pain was so blindingly bad that my body had adjusted by sending me into some weird state of mind where I didn't feel it.  
  
Lex and Clark came back in, accompanied by two people I really wasn't expecting to see. You know, just Lana and Whitney.  
~*~  
  
"Chloe! I heard--so glad you're okay!" Lana hurried over.  
  
"Uh-yeah, thanks--what are you two doing here?" I asked weakly.  
  
"We were coming out of a movie when this horrible storm just kept getting worse, and we just figured we'd stop here...it was the closest place, and Whitney didn't think he could get either of us home safely." Lana explained.  
  
Lex looked at Whitney with contempt.  
  
"What a gentleman." Lex said icily.  
  
"Thanks, man, we really appreciate this." Whitney turned to him, the sarcasm completely lost to his football-infested brain. Jockstrap, I thought bitterly.  
  
"Not a problem. Maybe I should just go buy tacky paper hats and call this a party." Lex said, and I suppressed a laugh.  
  
"No, you don't want to do that, Lex--it's raining really bad out there!" Whitney explained as if being thoughtful.  
  
Lex looked at Whitney for a moment, as if deciding to even dignify that remark with a cutdown. Apparently, the answer was no, because he just took a very long drink from his wine glass instead.  
  
An awkward silence fell over the five of us, broken only by the steady dripping of Lana and Whitney's clothes.   
  
"Clark, you remember where I got your clothes out of?" Lex said suddenly.  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"Go take Lana with you and get her some dry clothes."  
  
Whitney's eyes flashed slightly and he cleared his throat.  
  
"Lozenge?" Lex asked innocently.  
  
"A word?" Whitney suggested, motioning for Lex to follow him.  
  
"How many syllables?" Lex said in a smart-ass voice that should have bothered me, but really, really didn't,  
  
Lex and Whitney had a hushed conversation in another corner, with Lex looking thoroughly bored, and finally they rejoined us.  
  
"Apparently, Whitney doesn't like the idea of Clark taking Lana anywhere, so Lana, would you rather Whitney accompanies you?" Lex said, ignoring Whitney's furious glare.  
  
"Whitney, how many times are we going to have this conversation?" Lana said, her sweet voice tinged with exasperation.  
  
"I sense trouble in paradise." Lex said quietly to me, while sitting in a chair close to the couch.  
  
"Honestly! Clark is my friend, and I'm so sick of you making a scene whenever we're going to do anything together where we're remotely alone!" Lana threw her hands in the air, as Clark looked determinedly down at his feet.  
  
"A scene? Whitney makes three-act plays." Lex said in an undertone.  
  
I grinned, wishing I could add to this little witty commentary, but my mind was strangely blank. Damn, I was usually good at this!  
  
"Lana, can we talk about this later?" Whitney shifted his eyes to us as if to indicate they had an audience.  
  
"NO! We're talking about it right now!" Lana stomped out of the room.  
  
Whitney stood there for a minute.  
  
"Hey buddy, that wasn't storming off, that was let's talk about this in private." Lex gave him a push after her.  
  
Whitney stumbled out of the room.  
  
"Good call, Dr. Love." I said, laughing.  
  
"Is that my nickname now?" Lex raised an eyebrow cockily.  
  
"No...I just meant..." I suddenly was very flustered.  
  
"I'm kidding, Chloe." He said in a patronizing kind of voice.  
  
I hate that. I hate being patronized. It makes me feel inferior, and feeling inferior is not something I'm comfortable with. I could out-talk or corner practically anyone, that was part of my job description as a journalist. But Lex was very different. He was older, and for once in my life, I felt like I could easily be cornered by him. Verbally, I mean. Gaaa, bad thoughts, Chloe, bad thoughts.  
  
"So while they fight it out, you two want me to show you your rooms?" Lex asked, getting up as he took another drink from his wine glass.  
  
"Sure." I got up shakily.  
  
Clark didn't reply, still staring after Lana.  
  
"Hey, Clark, when you're done looking wistfully after her while soulful crap-rock plays in your head, you want to know where you're sleeping?" Lex nudged Clark.  
  
"Oh...uh, yeah. And hey!"  
  
"I'm just kidding. I'm sure there's very cool music in your head." Lex patted Clark on the shoulder.  
  
"Shut up." Clark said moodily.  
  
"Don't worry, Clark, that didn't look like a fight that will end well." Lex reassured him.  
  
"Do you think that-" Clark got a hopeful look on his face.  
  
"Hey, on a night like this, anything could happen." Lex shrugged, and I could've sworn he shot a look at me. But it was so quick, I convinced myself I imagined it.  
~*~  
  
"I'm serious, Whitney! This is getting ridiculous!" Lana spun to face him, furious.  
  
"I'm sorry for caring about you, Lana! Any boyfriend would be jealous!"  
  
"No, you would be jealous! This is why we broke up the first time around, remember? A friendship with a guy does not just BAM lead to cheating!"  
  
"It's different with Clark!"  
  
"Why?"   
  
"Because...you two have this whole history and it's almost like--"  
  
"Almost like what?" Lana demanded.  
  
"Sometimes it feels like you'd rather be with him."  
  
Lana caught her breath quickly.  
  
"That's...that's crazy." She said.  
  
"It's not so crazy, Lana! Can you blame me for worrying?"  
  
"Isn't that what I'm doing right now?"  
  
Whitney didn't respond, just looked away from her. Lana was fed up.  
  
"Look, Whitney...I'm starting to think...maybe we made a mistake. The getting back together, I mean."  
  
Whitney looked up then.  
  
"You're kidding. We're not breaking up because of some stupid fight!"  
  
"It's not just this once, Whitney. I look at another guy and you get all...crazy. I can't take this." Lana refused to meet his eyes.  
  
"No, Lana. I'm sorry...I'm sorry that I-"  
  
"I'm really not interested, Whitney. Enough's enough." Lana crossed her arms.  
  
"Lana--"  
  
"No. Just stop. It's over." Lana looked up at his shocked face for a second, and couldn't stand it. She turned and left, tears forming in her eyes.  
~*~  
  
"Here's your room, Clark." Lex opened a door, motioning towards the sprawling guest room.  
  
One of many, I wagered.  
  
"Thanks, Lex. I'm beat. Night, Chloe." Clark gave a little smile and wave to the two of us, closing the door behind him.  
  
Lex and I stood there for a moment, and I noticed he was looking at me. I looked up at him, and when most guys would look away quickly and be embarrassed, Lex didn't and wasn't.  
  
"What?" I asked him finally.  
  
"Nothing." Lex shrugged mysteriously, and continued down the hall.  
  
A silence fell between us, and I was, once again, feeling kinda...strange.  
  
"So, how are things at Luthor Corp?" I blurted out.  
  
"Fine." Lex laughed slightly.  
  
"That was totally random, sorry." I giggled nervously, then promptly hated myself. I don't giggle. I smirk. I trade one-liners. I laugh. But noooo giggling for me.  
  
Lex glanced at me sideways.  
  
"That's funny." He commented.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I didn't really take Chloe Sullivan for the giggling type."  
  
"Yeah, neither did she. I. Me." I couldn't believe this. Just when I thought my idiotic comments had reached a low point, I surprise myself.  
  
"Right." Lex's eyebrows went together inquisitively, but he was still grinning.  
  
We walked a few more steps down the hallway, and just when I thought my mouth had finally made an agreement with my brain to shut the hell up, my mouth got all rebellious.   
  
"Want to hear a joke?" I said suddenly.  
  
Lex gave me another strange look.  
  
"Rain check on the joke, I want to ask you something." He said.  
  
"All right." I said, trying not to sound nervous.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Am I okay? In what sense?"  
  
"In the sense of being okay. Tonight you seem really...strange."  
  
"Strange? What are you comparing tonight against?"  
  
"You seemed so together when we met that time, and tonight you're acting...strange."  
  
"I'm sensing a theme here."  
  
"Just answer the question."  
  
"All right, well, I can't deny that I've been acting kind of strange. But it's just...I'm kind of nervous around you, Lex."  
  
"Don't worry. I have that effect on alot of girls." Lex grinned cheekily.  
  
"No--not like THAT. Just, I don't really know you and it's kind of awkward being around you and carrying on conversation like we're old friends when I've practically been raised thinking of Lex Luthor as the untouchable, aloof Richie Rich of Smallville."  
  
"Richie Rich? That little cartoon guy?"  
  
"The really rich cartoon guy. See the parallel?" I explained.  
  
"Oh, okay. I'll go with that. Just as long as Jessica Rabbit can be my girlfriend." Lex said offhandedly.  
  
"If that makes you happy." I laughed.  
  
"It really, really does." Lex sighed.  
  
"You're a complex man, Lex Luthor."  
  
"I get that alot."  
  
"Probably due to your complexity."  
  
"That might be it."   
  
"So, tell me about yourself, Lex." I looked at him, grinning slightly. This was better. Not quite so weird.  
  
"About myself....well, I'm rich and bald."  
  
I laughed despite myself.  
  
"I've gathered that much. Something a little less superficial."  
  
"Something deep and probing then?"  
  
"Yeah, that sounds about right."  
  
"Reporters are annoying."  
  
"Oh, come on, Lex, I'm not writing a front-page story on you, or anything, but I think it's my prerogative to be curious."  
  
"Your prerogative? How do you figure?"  
  
"Well, I think it's natural to wonder about the biggest man in town."  
  
"Oh, wow, I'm flatterd." Lex raised his eyebrows.  
  
I suddenly realized the implications he was reading into that.  
  
"No, Lex, must you take everything as an innuendo?" I rolled my eyes, feeling back in my rhthym.  
  
"Not everything. But come on, you're making it pretty easy."  
  
We both went up a staircase at this little interval, and I couldn't help noticing that we were having something resembling a good time together.  
  
"So here's your bedroom, second on the right." Lex motioned to an oak door that was adorned with a big L.  
  
"Little egotistical, I know. I was not the designer of this monstrosity." Lex said, noticing me eyeing the L.  
  
"Nah, it's ok. Kinda Artist Formerly Known as Prince-ish, but hey. You rich guys all have issues."  
  
"Say that again." Lex said morosely.  
  
We both stood in front of the big L door for a second.  
  
"So, good night." I said finally.  
  
"Yeah. Night. It's been nice talking to you." Lex sounded sincere, for once, not sarcastic.  
  
Then, catching me off guard, Lex put a hand on my shoulder, his face alot closer to mine all of a sudden.  
  
"You're a cool kid, Chloe. I'd like to get to know you better." And with a small smile, he went back down the staircase.  
  
And I was left pondering the usage of the word "kid." Hello, I'm only like five years younger. And sixteen and twenty-one isn't THAT much of an age gap. And...oh, I don't know. That just bothered me. Probably because I was extremely attracted to him.  
~*~  
  
Lana wiped the tears out of her eyes, feeling both furious and very sad. Whitney hadn't followed her, and she didn't want him to. She was tired of that relationship. Verrrry tired of it. Everybody thought she and Whitney were so madly in love, but if he loved her, it had gotten extremely one-sided. He was so obnoxious about so many things. But especially Clark. Good grief.  
  
Lana was snapped out of her reverie by suddenly bumping into something.  
  
"Whoa, sorry, Lana."   
  
It was Clark. Lana worked even harder on trying to disguise the fact that she was crying by pasting a huge smile on her face.  
  
"Hey, Clark!" She said cheerily.  
  
"Hey...I just came down to check on you. That fight looked pretty bad."  
  
"Oh, it was awful." Lana felt the tears welling up again.  
  
"Really?" He asked, concerned.  
  
"Yeah," she said empathetically, "So bad, in fact, that we broke up."  
  
"You--you broke up?" Clark stammered.  
  
"It was awful." Lana finally let herself cry.  
  
"Oh, Lana, come here." Clark said sympathetically, and she fell towards him, shaking with sobs. Clark hugged her, and she cried even harder.  
  
"Oh, Clark, you're always the greatest friend to me." She smiled up at him, kissing him on the cheek.  
  
"Well, you're pretty easy to be a great friend to." Clark said sincerely, ignoring the twinge of sadness the word "friend" always brought with it.  
  
"What did I do to deserve a guy like you Clark? I mean, seriously, my other guy friends are never this great." Lana hugged him tightly again.  
  
Clark didn't answer.  
  
"I'll see you in the morning. I hope Whitney just leaves before I wake up." Lana rolled her eyes.  
  
"It'll be okay, Lana. You'll find somebody else." Clark said, wondering if he could lay the obvious ME vibes on any thicker.  
  
"Yeah...I hope so. Goodnight, Clark."  
  
"Night."   
  
And they went their seperate ways.  
~*~  
  
Lionel Luthor hung his dripping coat on the hook, feeling very irritable. He hated the rain. He hated alot of things, but rain was definitely on that very long list.  
  
Just then, Lex strode into the room, sipping from a wine glass.  
  
"I was just thinking about things I hate." His father said viciously.  
  
Lex looked up, disinterested.  
  
"I like this tie, dad." He said, mocking hurt.  
  
And they went into their usual silence.  
  
'Hey, Lex, I was wondering if--" Istrode into the room, and stopped immediately at the sight of his father.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" Lionel demanded.  
  
"Her name's Chloe Sullivan." Lex explained.  
  
"Can she not speak?"  
  
"Yes, I'm perfectly capable." I said, filled with innate dislike.  
  
"Would you care to explain why you're wearing my son's clothes?" Lionel said icily.  
  
"Why do you care, dad?" Lex raised his eyebrows.  
  
"You know I have never interfered with your...er, sexual exploits, Lex, but I want nothing to do with the people you waste your time with."  
  
"Sexual exploits?" I stammered.  
  
"Dad, I'm not *sleeping* with her. She and her friend, Clark Kent, are staying here for the night. They got in a car accident, and I thought, you know, since I *have* a moral compass, that I should let them stay." Lex explained, managing to sound angry and aloof.  
  
"Your moral compass is what makes you weak, Lex." Lionel meet his son's eyes, then left the room.  
  
I let out a low whistle. Lex didn't acknowledge it.  
  
"Did you need something, Chloe?"  
  
"I-I just needed a toothbrush." I said lamely.  
  
"Oh, sure, right, you needed a toothbrush." Lex seemed really moody all of a sudden, but I couldn't say she blamed him.  
  
"But, it's okay, I'll just....go back to bed." I backed off.  
  
Lex grabbed a bottle of vodka from a case on the wall, pouring himself a shot.  
  
"Oh, but you haven't gotten your toothbrush." Lex said sarcastically after knocking back the drink.  
  
"Look, Lex, I'm sorry--I really didn't mean to..."  
  
"You don't need to apologize. My father's insane, the whole town knows that. I'm surprised you're so shaken up." Lex proceeded to drink three more consecutive shots.  
  
"So I'll just go then."  
  
"Want a drink?" Lex motioned towards the bottle, completely disregarding what I had just said.  
  
"I'm not really in the law-breaking mood tonight, so no thanks." I tried not to make that sound self-righteous, I had been told I do that too often.  
  
"Oh, right. Because you're---sixteen, right?"   
  
"That's right."  
  
"Oh, yeah, about the toothbrush--I don't think we have any extra. Unless you want to use mine." Lex grinned.  
  
"I'll pass."   
  
And I left, feeling, once again, what could only be described as...strange. Lex Luthor kept surprising me. In a really good way. And, hey, I thought sadly, at least he thinks I'm a "cool kid."   
~*~  
the end 


End file.
